Babies First Foods

Three reasons to avoid rice cereal and grains for babies first foods

1.) Rice cereal and all extruded grains are a processed food.

Feeding your baby is serious business, do you really want to leave that responsibility to big business and government recommendations?! Rice cereal and all extruded grain “Cereals are mixed or mashed with water to make a paste and then forced out a tine hole under high temperatures and pressures. The shape of the die on the hole determines whether the final product will be a flake, a little O, a puffed grain or a shredded grain (for shredded wheat or triscuits). Extrusion represents extreme cruelty to our grains.” 1

2.) Babies have limited enzyme production, which is necessary for the digestion of carbohydrates and vegetables.

Foods like cereals, grains and breads are difficult for babies to digest. The enzyme amylase is needed for those foods, and babies don’t make this enzyme until their big molar teeth are fully developed. The only carbohydrate enzyme a baby does process is lactase, for the digesting of lactose in milk. Therefore, grain carbohydrates should be the last of foods introduced. 2

Babies are born with the ability to digest breast milk, which is over 50% fat and the rest is protein. So why would I give my baby grains and rice if they can’t digest it?

Dr. Thomas Cowan over at FourFouldHealing.com explains… from 6 months to one year you must cook vegetables (with the exception of veggie ferments). Definitely start introducing soured naturally fermented vegetable ferments to get your child use that sour taste. Read more about this here3

3. Provide the best nutrition to avoid physical degeneration

I grew up with severe degeneration that showed up in crooked teeth, allergies, learning difficulties and a small mouth that could not hold all my teeth and bad eye sight. My eye sight was so poor, I could get out of bed without putting my glasses on the morning. That’s bad folks. I will be forever grateful to my parents for investing thousands of dollars to repair my teeth and for Lasik surgery. But, really those just cover the real issue… I am not functioning well and this is due to poor nutrition.My parents and my parents parents …. were vegetarians.

My husband and I want to give our baby the best chance for a healthy vibrant life.

My degeneration might not be fixed in one generation, but providing the best nutrition for our baby is one step in the right direction. Life is already hard enough with out extra challenges caused poor nutrition.

The teeth tell the tale.

Would you rather have naturally great eyesight, straight teeth and a wide face OR physical limitations due to poor nutrition? 4

Foods By Age

4-6 Months

Minimal solid foods as tolerated by babyEgg yolk–if tolerated, preferably from pastured chickens, lightly boiled and saltedBanana–mashed, for babies who are very mature and seem hungryCod liver oil— 1/4 teaspoon high vitamin or 1/2 teaspoon regular, given with an eye dropper

I started first foods at 5 1/2 months with egg yolk with a pinch of salt but Isabella had quite the violent reaction to it (throwing up until her stomach was empty) so I switched to raw liver (frozen at least 14 days) with broth and salt. Liver did the trick she loved it and I knew she was getting fabulous nutrients.

Great article! I love that you pointed out the development of the teeth has so much to do with which foods to eat. Watching my children’s teeth is how I determine when to start solid food. Here is my Baby Food Guide I used when feeding my children.